Walker Aggregates Helps Scouts Clean Up for Earth Day

On Saturday, April 21st, employees of Walker Aggregates’ Vineland Quarries joined the First Vineland Scouts for their Annual Earth Day Cleanup. For over 10 years, the employees at Walker Aggregates have provided the Scout group with the tools needed to clean up the roads surrounding their Scout building and the quarry. This includes providing garbage bags, litter picking sticks, and roadside protection to get the job done safely.

Quarry employees passed up their usual Saturday morning routines to drive Walker pickup trucks with lights flashing in an effort to improve the visibility of the 16 Scouts collecting litter along the narrow roadways.

For this year’s event, Mike Theal, Head Mechanic for the quarry, with the help of Welder Alex Bartfai and Loader Operator Isaac Pelissero, took the Scouts’ safety to the next level. They designed and built oversized metal signs to fit into the trucks’ trailer hitches to provide clearer warning of ongoing activities to those driving by. Large signs were also placed at key intersections to warn drivers to watch for cleanup participants in the area.

The new signage provided a versatile alternative to traditional precautions, and added emphasis to the safety requirements of the cleanup event. For the Scouts, this meant more time dedicated to picking up litter, and less time spent worrying about roadside danger.

“Providing a safe way for the Scouts to do their part to improve the environment and community is the least we can do,” said Mark Harmsworth, Superintendent at Walker’s Vineland Quarries, noting that there is never a shortage of volunteers for this particular event. “The First Vineland Scouts really inspire our employees through their initiatives to care for their neighbours and surroundings,” Harmsworth added. “That’s why we’ve been proud to support them for so many years.”

The morning cleanup ended with a barbecue for the participants hosted by Walker Aggregates. Afterwards, Scouter and Area Commissioner for Fruitbelt Area Mike Stevenson was presented with a cheque from Walker for $1,000 to put towards the Scouts’ next year of activities.

“Activities like the annual cleanup are helping to develop the Scouts to be tomorrow’s leaders. We’re not just teaching outdoor skills to youths, we’re teaching them how to get along with others and solve problems,” Stevenson said, noting his appreciation for Walker’s help with the cleanup and the new safety measures added this year. “The group always has a blast at this event, and the new safety signs were a great way to show the community what we’re working on.”

The 2018 First Vineland Scouts Earth Day Cleanup saw the disposal of four full pickup truckloads of garbage from the roadside. That’s roughly 40 full bags of litter picked up by 16 Scouts over the course of 3 hours – a feat that’s sure to inspire Earth Week activities everywhere.